Improvement in flnger-rings



W. BIKER.

Finger-Ring.

No. 202,588. Patented April 16,1878.

%VENTOB ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STAT PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BIKER-{OF NEWARK, NEW JnnsnY.

Q IMPROVEMENTJN FINGER-RINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 202,588, dated April16, 1878 application filed t March2,1878. Y

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BIKER, of Newark, in the county of Essex andState of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Method ofOrnamentin g Fin ger-R-in gs and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a face view of theinlaid strip.

Fig. 2 is a face view of the plain strip; Fig. 3, a transverse sectionthrough line x :v of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a transverse section through lineas x of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a face view of the two strips soldered together;Fig. 6, a transverse section of Fig. 5 through line 3 3 Fig. 7, a sideview of the completed ring as inlaid and engraved; Fig. 8, a sectionthrough the same at y 51 and Fig. 9, an edge viewpf the completed ring.The object of my invention is to provide a solid gold finger-ring havinginlaid designs of differentcolors of gold, whileits groundwork, edges,and internal periphery are of uniform color and quality.

To this end my invention consists in forming the body of the ring in twothicknesses of the same metal, and inlaying the outer thickness while inflat-strip form by cutting through the same with dies or saws, andinserting corresponding pieces of the color and quality desired, thensoldering to the inlaid piece a-solid uniform backing, and then bendingthe same into a hoop, uniting the edges and finishing, as hereinafterfully described.

In producing a band ring, I first make two distinct parts-the face oroutside portion A, and the back or inside portion B. The face I make ofgold of any suitable quality and thickness-say, yellow gold of fourteencarats and one-thirty-second of an inch in thickness. By any of theknown methods of inlayingviz., by the use of saws or cuttersI nowornament the piece A with any suitable inlaid design, extended throughthe strip, and flush with its outer edges-for example, with a pattern ofmorning glory in gold of dift'erentcolors and in silver, as seen in thedrawing. 1 make the back B of the same quality as the face-in this caseof yellow gold of fourteen carats,

and of a thickness such that when joined to the face it will give to thering the thickness desired. The pieces thus formed I now soldertogether, and bend the solid piece thus produced into a hoop, and unit-eits edges to form the ring.

In thus bending the two soldered sections of the strip together, it willbe seen that the backing re-enforces the inlaid port-ion, and preventsthe opening of cracks about the soldered joints of the emblems, therebymaking a neater finish than if the inlaid piece were bent separately. Imay, however, bend the inlaid piece first, and then insert a plain hoopto form a backing, the joints of the emblems being closed and tightenedby hammering.

The face and back, being of the same quality and color, and of asuitable thickness, may be so soldered together as to leave no trace ofa dividing-line, and the effect produced will be that of a ring formedfrom a single solid piece, into which a design in gold, silver,orplatinum, as the case may be, has been sunk.

The ring produced by the process differs from all rings heretoforeproduced, or which may be produced by known methods of ornamentation, inthat it is a solid ring made of two pieces of the same quality andcolor, presenting on its face an inlaid design, and on its back orinside a solid gold surface of the same quality as the face, producingthe effect heretofore described.

Othermethods ofornamentationwhichmight be used:

First, the band might be made of one solid piece, and the inlaid designinserted by cutting part way through the ring, and inserting pieces inthe apertures thus formed.

The objections to this method are that, while the back and edges of thering possess all the advantages secured by my method, the inserting ofthe deslgn on the face becomes very difficult, the expense is. thusincreased, and the finish is less perfect.

Another method which may be used is to make the ring in one solid piece,and to inlay it with saws or cutters, cutting through the entire piece,simple or bimetallic pieces being used for inlaying.

First. When simple pieces or pieces of one metal are used, the samecolors will show on the inside as on the face, thus injuring the finish.

Second. When bimetallic pieces (as described in Patent No. 199,580,January 22, 1878) are used.

The objection to this method when applied to rings is that it isdifficult to cut stock of a thickness suitable for a band ring, and whencutters are used it is substantially impracticable.

What I therefore claim as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

l. The method herein described of ornamenting solid finger-rings, whichconsists in inlaying a strip for the exterior of the ring,

and'applying to the same, by soldering, a separate back of plain solidgold, the said strip being bent to form a ring, substantially asdescribed.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a solid finger-ring made in twocircumferential pieces, having the outer piece cut through and inlaid,and having an inner piece or backing soldered to the same, and made ofthe same quality and color of metal as, the groundwork of the outerpiece, as set forth.

wILLIAM BIKER.

Witnesses:

CHAS. A. PETTIT, S0L0N G. KEMoN.

